A free flame
by Deedot
Summary: After rescuing Iroh the gang go to the firenation where they meet the most unlikely of people Jet's sister! She is in charge of a whole nother freedom fighter base! Story MUCH better than summary. R&R! no flames. T for violence.Rating might change to K


**Disclaimer: I don't own avatar: the last airbender...that makes me sad :'(**

**Chapter 1: Where are we headed? **

As they flew above the walls and the plains and the lakes they could only review the events that had just happened to them. They could only think they were doomed; not an optimistic thought ran through their heads. The boy was sleeping on his stomach as a dark skinned girl ran strings of water through a burnt hole in his back. A bear sat close along with his owner, who was the king of the city they were just leaving. A blind girl sat close as well, her arms looping through a hole in the saddle. A boy, another with dark skin, held onto the reigns of the massive beast, guiding it away from the danger behind them.

The bald one, the one on his stomach, was dreaming. Not of what he had just been through, but what he would eventually go through. Of course, he did not know this. Instead of him being the star of the movie running through his head, it was a different person. One with strange pants made of jean and a t-shirt with words he didn't understand across the front. The world this boy was in was one so crazy, so outrageous, Aang thought it was just another crazy dream.

The girl with the water above him did think of what she had just been through. She thought of how absolutely dim witted she must've been to get so close to her enemy. She made a mental note not to let it happen again and moved on to more important matters.

The bear thought he should have a conversation with the beast he was flying on later. The lemur seemed annoying, and he didn't want to converse with it.

The king thought of his doomed city. Nothing more but his doomed city.

The blind girl could only think of what would happen if her friend died. She would have to return to her parents in Gaoling and face her punishment. She would have to inform them that the avatar was dead and they might as well surrender themselves to the firenation. If they didn't, since her family were rich nobles, the fire lord would, most likely, send the rough rhino's to eliminate them. Toph would, at that time, be depressed and wouldn't even try to fight them off. She would willingly let them take her life.

The boy with the dark skin thought mostly of what had happened. His sister wouldn't tell him and Aang was out of question, he was practically dead. Every once in a while he would look up at the moon and pray. He wondered how in the world Azula could've gotten into to Ba Sing Se undetected.

Back to the waterbender, her thoughts drifted to Iroh, at least that was what she thought his name was. What had happened to him? He most certainly couldn't have fought all of those Dai Li, Azula, and Zuko all by himself. What if he had gotten hurt? Or worse. What if they killed him? He could be in jail or something, which was the best thought that passed through her mind.

" Guys," She said aloud.

" Yeah?" Her brother replied from up ahead.

" We need to turn back."

" Are you crazy, Katara!?" Sokka had turned by now to look at her.

" No, I'm not. It's just that old man helped us and I think he might be in trouble."

Toph unraveled her arms from the hole. She turned towards the sound vibrating to her ears.

" Katara's right. We should head back." She stated.

" No. No way am I heading back there!" Sokka turned and stubbornly kept going. Katara heaved a heavy breath. She climbed up to the head of the bison and pulled Sokka back by his collar. He let go of the reigns and flipped backwards, onto the saddle. Katara turned the bison around.

" Katara!" Sokka yelled. He trekked to the reigns and sat down by his sister. " Are you insane? We could die back there, Aang almost did, and he's the AVATAR!"

" Well, I didn't! I was in the catacombs, Sokka, and I'm fine!" Katara replied.

" Katara, I'm not going back there."

" Then you better jump cause I'm not turning back around."

Sokka pouted for a moment. How could his sister want to go back there and save a FIREBENDER? It was insane. She was insane.

" Fine." He concluded. She smiled. " We'll go."

"Well… you won't go. Toph and I will. You have to stay here and watch Aang and the King."

" Okay, there is no way-"

" Sokka. Just do this." Katara looked ahead.

" Fine."

* * *

"Shh!" Toph put her finger to her lips as she crept along the east wall of the palace. Katara had been saying how she hoped Sokka would be all right alone with the king, Bosco, and Aang. Toph had thought she felt vibrations but, in reality, didn't. 

" Can't you just put us underground or something?" Katara whispered.

"No. We could run out of oxygen quickly and you never know where the Dai Li are."

They ran forward.

" Why are we standing here?" Katara inquired. There was nothing of interest at this spot of the wall. No windows, doors, special carvings, money, not one thing at all.

Toph pointed up and Katara followed her finger. There was a window, although it was rather high up.

" How are we gonna get up there?"

" Like this." Toph through a fist down and a large pillar of earth rose. It acted like an elevator and lifted them to the window. They climbed through the window. The room was a bedroom.

" Okay, how far down is the dungeon?" Katara inquired.

" A couple stories."

" Is there any way we could get down very quickly?"

" Without getting caught? No. I could bring a pillar up from the dungeon floor and we could ride down on that, but there is a large chance Princess Sparky would see us."

" I don't care, we can get out just as quick as we came in."

" Okay." Toph brought her hands up and next thing Katara knew she was speeding down to the dungeon. The pillar stopped and Katara put her hands out, as if reaching for support.

" Don't do that again." She said.

" Kay." Toph replied.

" Who is there?" A voice echoed from a nearby cell. The metal doors were thick and had one small window in it.

" The avatar's companions, we're here to rescue you." Toph replied. She walked to the cell and put her hands on the door and concentrated.

" Toph, what are you doing?" Katara walked over to her friend.

Iroh's face appeared in the window.

" Oh, it's you two young ladies! Thank you for coming." His face lit up with glee.

" No problem. It's the least we could do after you held Azula off." Katara replied.

" Okay now shut up! I need to concentrate!" Toph yelled.

" Oh, sorry."

Toph slammed her hands into the door and two indents appeared. She slammed again and they broke. She reached her hands in and pulled. A huge gapping hole was now in the center of the door. Iroh climbed out and said,

"Thank you."

" Piece of cake." Toph replied.

" Who's down there?" A voice yelled out in the hallway.

" Toph get us out of here!" Katara yelled. Toph did as she was told. She made the pillar of earth go up once more. They reached the bedroom and climbed out the window onto the other pillar and came back down to the ground.

"Run!" Toph yelled. And so they did. With Toph and Katara leading the way they made their way back to Appa.

" Took you guys long enough!" Sokka yelled.

" That wasn't even that long! At least one hour!"

" Whatever. Just get on Appa." He paid no attention to their new arrival.

" Ignore my brother, he can be rude." Katara said to Iroh as she helped him climb on.  
" It is quite alright, Katara was it?" He replied.

" Yes." She returned to her healing. Toph wrapped her arms around the hole in the saddle and Appa took off.

" So," Sokka yelled from the head. "Where are we headed?"

**No flames please!! R&R!!**


End file.
